cotocoto kitchen

For a substantial lunch, choose between the wagyu and tender aubergine salad plate and the hamburger steak made with Japanese beef and pork. The first pairs soft aubergine with aromatic grilled wagyu and house-made miso sauce, served as a one-plate meal with salad, ancient-grain rice and a ginger soup with Yoshino kudzu tofu. The hamburger steak is hand-formed without breadcrumbs as a binder, and comes with fresh tomato sauce and Yamato-toki herb salt. Both options include rice, salad and ginger soup, making them easy choices when you want a meat-centred meal with the accompaniments on the same plate.

One diner who ordered the wagyu and aubergine plate also chose a mini strawberry parfait and a latte to round off the meal. Another lunch review singled out the ginger-rich soup with kudzu tofu, the seaweed beneath the mixed-grain rice and a Mont Blanc parfait containing Tamba chestnuts. The menu’s Mont Blanc parfait combines two kinds of chestnut cream with seasonal fruit and the chiffon cake of the day. There is room for dessert whether you are having lunch or stopping by for a café treat.

For a lighter lunch, try the roasted-carrot sandwich, filled with sweet roasted carrots, house-made pickles and fresh salad. The toast is crisped in pure olive oil, and the sandwich comes with either ginger soup with Yoshino kudzu tofu or a drink set. Coffee and tea are joined by choices such as camellia and lemongrass herbal tea, and flavoured teas including caramel nut and rose. In Momogaike-cho, Abeno Ward, this café offers options for both a meal and something sweet.